


The Forest of Hands and Teeth

by Our_Brightest_Stars



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Brotherly Affection, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Deconstruction, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Found Family, Gen, Healing, House of Leaves Inspired, I had to do it to em, I mean, JUST, Language of Flowers, Other, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Siblings, Psychological Horror, Reader is literally the only well adjust individual here, Searching for Happiness, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Starvation, The Cake Is A Lie, Therapy, Touch-Starved, and not just because there's 5, but actually very wholesome, don't be fooled by this fic, except viola, he's the only sane one next to reader, himbos, if terrifying, koiikun, let's take our time okay, lots of a spooky themes, not like your normal 6 skeletons fic, or because there's the 'undesirable' skeletons, please, spooky scary skeletons - Freeform, the crypt bois are a bunch of himbos, this is a thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:06:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22019851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Our_Brightest_Stars/pseuds/Our_Brightest_Stars
Summary: You, an animal rehabilitator, have been summoned to care for five(!) skeleton monsters because literally no one else would take them in. You agree, but you're going to do this your way.And try to keep your farm intact.And try to keep the little assholes from harming themselves or others.And, oh yeah, try not to get eaten by them or the wildlife.
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 45
Kudos: 219





	1. Conditions Set

"...Well?" The former ruler hissed, single eye flickering under the artificial fluorescent lighting. The pupil constricted into a narrow and jittery slit that made you uncomfortably think of a mountain lion you had seen before, found strangled in barb wire. It had struggled and thrashed itself into an assured death; each jerk and squirm only making the coil tighter, cut deeper, tearing into the flesh straight down into the bone. It's glassy-eyed stare forever locked into a wild and desperate snarl. Cornered.

That was the best way to describe the ex-Empress here: utterly backed into a corner.

You were, technically, the last option left for these particular cases, and this particular Undyne, dubbed Unendyne by some, was the one who had the responsibility of convincing you for the sake of her subjects.

Your gaze slowly slid back to the five folders in front of you. Three different Underground realms, two pairs and a single survivor, only one ruler to represent the three... Empress Alphys had been entirely unstable, flying into a rage and massacring both monster and human alike upon reaching the Surface; it went unsaid how it had to end. The other realm had only one survivor; the rest of said realm's people being nothing but dust, supposedly rescued from famine too late, details slim to none. The three famine stricken realms had been deemed Category Three in severity, the worst off of the seven distinct Undergrounds that exited the Barrier.

"I rehab animals. These are people," you say, deciding to cut straight to the point. It was your duty to more-or-less make it clear what you were qualified to do after all. You didn't treat humans, let alone monsters. No way would you let the government try to slack off and give you responsibility over  _ genuine sentient people _ just because they had non-humanoid characteristics or held some semblance to animals in appearance. What's worse was the implication of the famine survivors being 'little more than animals' from the circumstances they were forced to live in for  _ decades _ . You simply weren't qualified.

Undyne seemed frustrated but not angry by this answer, exchanging glances with the two human 'handlers' and mediator that came along as well. The mediator, a skeleton monster, gestured something under the table almost encouragingly as he eased back into his seat. He had yet to say much other than a gruff 'hello'. You didn't even know his name. The aquatic monster's expression tensed further, pinching uncomfortably. One set of claws scratched and picked at some loose scales at her neck as Undyne begrudgingly returned her attention to you. "Look, Human, I get it... And I guess thanks for not considerin' us mindless fuckin' animals, but we have a reason to look you up. We  _ know _ you don't treat people. You tame traumatized animals, ones that are stuck in their baser instincts, right?"

"I rehab them. Taming is different, that means breaking them in."

"...But you make them not a threat anymore, socialize them or whatever," the ex-ruler pressed, claws making a scratchy  _ clink _ against her scales. Tiny particles swirled in the air, dust motes just barely visible in the lighting. "Listen, Underground? It was 'eat or be eaten', especially towards the end. Right now, what a lot of us really need is being eased out of that survival headspace, okay? Real gentle like. We don't need or  _ want _ someone to tell us how to fuckin' think or feel or, ugh,  _ constantly _ ask us  _ why _ . The last few weeks were a start, seeing the outside, having somethin' to eat as much as we want... It helped. But there's too many of us, not enough qualified people, and these five... These five need help the most. No one else will take 'em in. Not as a group, or as pairs, or  _ even separately _ . You have the space, the  _ experience _ with dangerous creatures, and we're willin' to compensate your time and for the living expenses."

One word stuck out to you, "...Dangerous?"

The claws froze, twitching in place. The pupil was practically non-existent. The shark-like monster was utterly still, not even breathing. Strands of hair slowly slid down from the loose bandages around the leader's other eye. No one moved. No one breathed.

The mediator spoke this time, "yes." His eye sockets opened and regarded you coldly. The little pin-pricks were gone, now. Just  _ emptyemptyempty _ black holes gazing through you, pinning you into your seat in unspoken threat. Sweat broke out behind your neck, you could feel a drop of it snake down your spine. You didn't look away, although you did blink a few times. It was obvious was his point was, here. Even 'friendly' monsters, even ones from Category One Realms... All were capable of something... And Category Three was the worst off of the seven.

Then, he sat up straight, chair slamming back down on four legs instead of the casual two-legged-recline he had been doing. The stagnant air broke, and the menacing spell surrounding them all, lifted. The pin-prick eyelights returned. Undyne turned to stare at the tiny monster in disbelief, the handlers shifted uncomfortably, but he remained calm, if tense. "look, kid, there's no point in lying to you. i do, however, ask that you read the files first, and see if you are capable of caring for them before making a snap judgement based on unknown risk... they aren't mindless or without feelings, but people too. if it eases you further, you won't be with them alone the first few months to help get everyone settled, followed up by weekly check-ins..."

Well, he got you there. The least you could do would be to scan the paperwork provided. There was some relief in knowing that you wouldn't immediately be the only primary caretaker.

**Crooks** , one folder was labeled. Almost tauntingly like a nickname given to a cat, cute and laughable.

You weren't laughing when you saw the picture provided.

"Please tell me," you began, voice as dry and arid as a desert, "That someone called a dentist for this poor monster's teeth, and that no one said this insult to his face."

Silence.

You looked up, almost in disbelief, hoping against hope that they were also as shocked as you. They weren't. Undyne refused to meet your eyes, claws digging into an old scar. The mediator seemed hesitant, but said nothing. You pushed the file to the middle of the table and jabbed at the dental abomination. Broken and snaggled, overgrown to compensate, a literal mass of calcium too big to properly close or open. If skeletons were to have gums, you would imagine them bleeding and recessed. It looked agonizing, and no one thought to get medical assistance for him? They gave him a case file name  _ based _ on it?!

You didn't think it worth saying anything, the picture providing thousands more words than you'd ever be able to say. The look of shame and sadness in the spindly skeleton’s sunken eyes, forced to smile wide for the camera, hunched in on himself... The mediator broke out into a cold sweat, tiny blue globules beading around his temples, shining faintly of magic.

You left the picture there for all to see as you opened the next file,  **Axe** , and you didn't find it much better. You could only look at it, the picture of the cagey monster. His single bulbous eyelight, staring at something off camera, a hard serpentine red and bloated in appearance. His arms crossed and hands clenched tightly, bony hands digging into the filthy blue parka. The shattered hole in his skull winking up at you, with a crescent shaped smile and cracks spider-webbing out. You swore tiny grains of dust spilling out the chipped edges had appeared in the photo. He bore a remarkable semblance to the mediator, another mystery of the Undergrounds with their consistent doppelgangers... You lips thinned as you slapped that file on the table next to the first one.

**Jaws** , a surprising misnomer this time, as the skeleton also sported a massive head injury. He had a passing resemblance to the first client (no way in hell would you ever refer to the unfortunate monster by that travesty of a name), so you could see a meanspirited filer giving them matching code names. Unlike the last skeleton, his body language was open and rather apathetic, gangly arms loosely resting on knobby knees and single glowing eyelight staring placidly into the camera. He appeared unbearably gaunt. You knew he was a skeleton monster, that there was no flesh to do any padding out, but you had a feeling that he was sickly. The lethargic attitude of a starved predator conserving energy...

All three of the skeletons you glimpsed at were pitiful to behold. Dull eyelights, cautious postures, and brittle greying bones... You could hardly stomach the idea of looking at the last two files,  **Muzzle** and  **Dusty** . Horrid, distasteful names. Mocking you, the letters wavering as you fought the urge to cry.

You shouldn’t be seriously considering this. Maybe one, but five? Responsible for five very hurt and vulnerable adults? 

But… you couldn't do it to them. You couldn't turn these monsters away in good conscience, knowing that whoever had the responsibility of their case files would not be merciful or care about their continued wellbeing. They wouldn't get the treatment they needed after suffering for so long. You were the last one, they said. The last option.

You couldn't turn them away; the guilt would eat you up alive.

And that thrice damned mediator knew it.

Still, respect would be given where respect was due, even if you had been emotionally strong-armed into agreeing into a project that you still weren't entirely convinced you could handle. There would, however, be some stipulations added to this agreement. You weren’t going to say ‘yes’ without wrangling some concessions out of them, maybe make them sweat it out a bit more.

"I might take them on, assuming several conditions are met first..." You warned, eyeing both the mediator and the cautiously-hopeful monster beside him. "All five of these monsters need to be seen for their injuries. Just with the pictures alone, I can tell no real progress will be made with them under the constant stress and pain. The one with the dental issues needs to see dental surgeons immediately. The two with the head injuries likely need medical treatment? Those head wounds look… You can’t convince that they don’t need treatment for a huge hole in their cranium.”

These were the most important conditions; more than anything else, you hated abject suffering. You had hardened yourself to making the tough calls in the past, knowing what would be more merciful to the animal. Putting them down to end the agony that can’t be fixed, letting them finally lay to rest... 

You had been faced with a choice as a child, once: you had found one of your cats holding a baby bunny. The cat wasn’t hungry, just found something to toy with and satisfy its hunting urges. The bunny was still alive just playing dead. It had been small and soft in your hands, breathing quick and heartbeat hammering away. Tossing the cat in the barn did nothing, it returned each time in less than a minute. There was less than a minute to do something.

You had known, without a single doubt in your mind, that if you did nothing, this bunny would be tortured and toyed with by your cat. It wouldn’t die for a long time, and be afraid every second of it. The merciful option would be to snap its neck right there where you stood…

But you were a child, still. Young, afraid, you called out for someone to come help. To take the decision of ending a life out of your hands… No one else was near enough to hear you, and you didn’t know where they were.

The cat was back, and if you put him in the barn again, you’d have less than a minute.

You wanted to hold hope, you didn’t want the bunny to die.

You tried to hide it in the bushes, thorny and prickly. You knew nothing about scent and tracking…

You found the bunny dead the next morning with its head torn off, still nestled in the bushes right where you left it.

Every choice has its consequences, and you’ve had to live with the weight of that preventable suffering since. You made the tough choices now. You couldn’t be a coward when it came to mercy, whether by sparing or killing… And turning these monsters away?  _ That _ would be preventable suffering. You didn’t really want the responsibility, but the thought of adding five more dead rabbits to the pile repulsed you beyond words.

This time, you were going for the kill.

“Well?”

"...You can't exactly fix injuries like that, Girlie," Undyne grumbled lowly, not quite meeting your gaze. "Monster candy and green magic doesn't do shit for 'em. Trust me, first thing that was tried."

"...I didn't say anything about green magic, I'm suggesting an actual procedure, like what’s being done for the tall one’s teeth."

The mediator broke in, carefully weighing his words, the 'yes' they were looking for so close in their grasps, "kid, monsters aren't physical by nature. magic and dust propagated by our souls is what makes up our form. what would help a human, wouldn't necessarily help us. it's never been done. they don't have a margin of error. it either works or they're dust."

You bit your lip, gaze lowering back to the open files splayed across the metal table. The gaping holes in their skulls taunted you. The looks in the eyelights of the skeletons were not unlike that of your average clients. Glassy, resigned, quietly afraid and still trying to endure despite it. They looked so,  _ so _ very tired. You had to push the point for them. Obviously no one else was going to, and they didn't seem to realize they had a choice or a right in the matter. You would have to try, and if the answer was still a refusal... Well, you would still take them under your care regardless of the failed condition. You’d figure out something, even if these people wouldn’t.

You weren’t giving up though, you would keep pressing and pressing until they were forced to give a straight answer. "...And I'm willing to bet no one has survived from injuries like this before, either."

The reluctant silence said it all. The way his eyelights flickered and constricted before disappearing again. The two should have long ago turned to dust. Something was different, a change in the variable. You didn't know what, per se, but you had a feeling that you were on the right track.

"There are five other Realms, somewhere, I'm sure, there is a citizen or two with compatible magic. Whatever trait, whatever it is that's  _ special _ about these two that helped them to survive... I'm sure if we asked for other opinions by any of their scientists or healers, there would be some ideas rattling around... And I'm sure if asked any decent skeleton from those realms, they would volunteer to help their fellow monster..."

The mediator said nothing, expression shuttered. You didn't really expect him to rise to the bait, but you wanted it to eat at him, at least a little. The expressions of the rest in the room weren't encouraging, either. “and just what kind of treatment would you suggest, since you seem so full of ideas?” The mediator asked somewhat bitterly. You knew that tone, that defensive posture. It was too familiar. There was a not-yet-dead bunny in his hands.

You weren’t a miracle worker yourself, but you would try for them. You had plenty of experience, after all, in traumatic injuries. “Well… I’d bring them to the professionals, first of all. But in my unprofessional opinion, maybe they need a, I dunno, magic infusion? Since they are made of magic?”

The Mediator snorted, looking distinctly unimpressed and even a little insulted, “that’s what green magic is,  _ buddy _ . any more clever ideas?”

You scowled. “I told you; I’m not a doctor, I’m an animal rehabilitator! And fine, a transplant then? Something with a more direct intent to the healing, like bone.”

“...are you trying to suggest making a frankenstein out of ‘em?”

“No! Look, humans do something similar when we get extremely burnt and lose too much skin. We find a donor and do a skin graft. I haven’t an earthly idea how it works, but the donor has to be compatible and I guess it would technically be a bone graft…?” 

The Mediator’s face was stony, arms crossed, and it seemed you weren’t going to get much further by pressing, so you relented some. Sighing out, “Look, I'm not asking for a miracle, but I'll be holding you to your words that you'll at least  _ try _ . Find some orthopedic doctors, talk with the other Realms,  _ something _ ... If I'm going to take these monsters under my care, I'm going to damn well take it seriously.”

His piercing stare didn’t falter for a moment as he asked, “really? serious enough to sign a non-disclosure, pal?”

“If you do one more thing for me, then yes.”

“...” He waited.

You took a steadying breath, squeezing your eyes shut for a second, before slowly exhaling. If nothing else, you wanted this done, “Different case names for these five. I don't know who came up with them, but I refuse to use these. These are insults for injuries they can't really help at the moment; not to mention, calling any monster any variant of dust is just… distasteful."

...Did he really have to look so surprised…?

“Done,” he said, “But you have to choose them. Now, sign here before we continue any further…”


	2. Non-Disclosure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you find out the truth

You glanced back at the mountain appraisingly, measuring its presence and sheer size. It loomed over the valley above the other rounded hills. Covered with trees and a sloped top… It wasn’t the kind of landscape people first thought of when associating monster folklore, nor the surrounding forest either. This wasn’t the scene people would record for horror movies or fantasy films.

All you could see when you looked upon it, was a soft-sort of familiarity. These were the woods you grew up in; these were the woods you protected… And you wondered, now, if all those murmurs of a haunted forest had only been started from the mountain lion population, or if subconsciously locals were warning each other of a race long buried. Especially when the surrounding land did little to inspire any sense of fear or foreboding within you. As long as a person kept aware of their surroundings and alert reflexes, there was no danger to be found here.

Just don't be stupid and never wander in around dark.

The mountain that contained the entrance and the exit of the Underground Realms was not near your property or really any property belonging to your neighbors. That particular large hill had always remained unclaimed and considered public for as long as you could remember… in so far as the extra property taxes were too unappealing and costly to make it private. All nearby sections of land, though, were inhabited or owed.

Now, though, the mountain was privately owned by the federal government and labeled as a nature reserve. More accurately, a reservation for monsters.  
There was an established goal of introducing monsterkind into the world at large, mingling with humanity as a whole. To gradually bring them into society and make them contributing members… However, it was an objective that was too far away to be realized as things stood. Monsters needed to recover from their millenia-long imprisonment and various levels of suffering from it first before any headway could really be made toward integration.

Even Category One monsters, arguably the best off of the Realms, were plagued with a mass case of agoraphobia.

The idea of being able to look up and see no ceiling, no walls, to cage them in. Just a large void, an absence they could be swallowed by. They look up, and it's like they're falling without their feet ever having left the ground. A vacuum seemingly only made safe with clouds or stars, to give the illusion of a dome. The sun itself was enjoyed sparingly and often towards the beginning or end of a day to witness an explosion of color.

Part of the issue was the lack of consistency, each day being entirely different from the last, the sky changing eternally. They couldn’t grow used to something that “never shows the same face twice”. Entire generations grew up and died without knowing the sky, and now being confronted by something they could have never comprehended or even imagined... It terrified them. Many remained in mountain, free to leave when they wished, but always returning to the comfort of "home". The comfort of the familiar.

The youngest generation, still in stripes and still brimming with boundless hope, found it the easiest to accept the new status quo. The oldest generation, still living on a millenia later after the war that sealed them all away, were just grateful they could see it again after so many of their friends had lost hope and fell down. Patience was needed for the rest, who were (for now) content with being able to go to the Surface whenever they wished while still having the safety of the “Known” behind them…

Category Two Realms, while it was also difficult for them to get used to how wide and open everything was on the Surface as well, they faired better with the change. With a higher population trapped in the same limited space, they had grown more territorial and hostile to each other. Supplies hadn’t quite reached the point of needing to be rationed out, crops being maintained with a zealous fervor, and water running through their caves at an acceptable amount. 

The monsters here, though, understood the threat of what overpopulation could mean. 

Weakness was snuffed out early and kindness only spared behind closed doors. Love needed to be protected fiercely with an equal amount of LoVe; to Act was to Fight. Mercy… You could only trust your closest family with such things, and certainly not within sight of other monsters who would exploit such weakness in a heartbeat out of instinct to protect their own.

And seeing Category One monsters, talking with them, and being freely given kindness, genuine kindness, without motive or cause made something in their souls flutter. Some took the “weaker” monsters under their protective fold, grumbling that somebody had to make sure the gullible fools didn’t get taken advantage of. Others held them away warily, not able to trust something so far from what they knew all their lives; despite how much they wanted the constant fighting to just be done now that they were on the Surface, so they waited and watched. And the rest… They resented the carefree nature of the Category One citizens, snarling and glaring at monsters that looked so much like themselves except happier; hurt and jealousy from what they believed to be unattainable burying itself in their souls as they snubbed the friendly advances.

Not to mention, crowds… were not something they enjoyed. Often they sought relief by going out with their small family units outside to enjoy the sunshine, with a respectable cushion between themselves and other monsters. Any “adopted” family, handlers or the Category One monsters brought under their “protection”, were allowed to join or sometimes dragged with in the case of the later. The extra space and abundant resources seemed to ease the tension that clung to the rougher monsters. They didn’t completely lose their stringent and standoff-ish attitudes, but their words and actions weren’t completely unkind anymore… just a bit backhanded or subtle. 

At least their first instinct wasn’t to Fight anymore.

And as for Category Three, the Realms that housed the monsters you were tasked to care for… Well, let it be said you never did anything by halves, nor did you go back on your word, as there was a mighty good reason the Mediator made you sign that NDA.

After giving you the brief overview of the other Categories, possibly to ease you into the situation after checking your reaction to the whole “kill or be killed” mentality of Category Two… There was a moment of understanding dawning on your face, a cold inkling of what he was about to tell you when you recalled Undyne’s words earlier: Eat or Be Eaten. Cannibalism. 

You could piece it together, almost, in your mind’s eye. The overpopulation and tight quarters… Supplies running out, the water drying up, severe rationing not being enough, monsters dusting from the hunger… An idea sparking from remembering spider donuts made of spider dust…

~~_eating as much of another monster as you could before they dusted, the Vegetoids disappearing first_ ~~

You hadn’t been wrong, per se, but you only had half the story.

Undyne had gotten up and left the room with her two handlers at this point, leaving just you and Mediator, his eyelights almost invisible with how constricted they were. The glowing sweat had increased, dripping sluggishly down the side of his skull. He wiped it away with an embroidered handkerchief before continuing. Not once did he avert his gaze as he revealed the truth.

You remembered looking up from the files in front of you, queasy and unsettled, a cold sweat starting to dribble down the back of your neck. "...I thought monsters turned to dust?" You asked weakly.

The Mediator's voice was very quiet, only thinly audible in the stagnant air of the meeting room. His scratchy voice hard to miss when you could have easily heard a pin drop in the stillness of the room. His eyelights had disappeared entirely at this point, eyesockets somehow sliding closed. The uncanniness made the uncomfortable feeling within you bloom as the skeleton rasped, "...only after their HoPe falls to zero… separated body parts don't turn into dust until after."

The uncomfortable feeling turned to ice, a cold spike of fear as the dots connected:

Monsters had been eating each other alive before the remains could turn to dust; consuming the raw magic before it could disappear.

"keep reading," he ordered gruffly, pushing the files towards you once more. "there's more."

You stared down at the printouts, eyes unseeing and a faint tremor starting in your hands. You could faintly hear yourself ask, as if far away, "Do I need to read the rest? I… understand what is being implied here, but I —"

"read. it." The Mediator asserted, brow ridge furrowing as his eyelights stared you down once more. "i know it isn't pretty to read, kid, but you _need_ to know the full story. you need to understand where they are coming from or this will never work. i'm not, uh, askin' you to necessarily accept what happened or excuse it, but it was literally a do or dust situation… what's more, it didn't end there… it wasn't isolated cases. read the files."

He was right. 

In the Capitol and in Waterfall, gangs of starving citizens began to crop up. Hellbent on survival and consuming anything they could get, including their fellow monsters. Said gangs were such a threat to the population that the Capitol itself had a whole unit of the Royal Guard to fight cannibalism. Often the other monsters didn't last through the confrontation. 

~~_it's a dog eat dog eat dog world, and the Canine Unit has to eat too, y'know?_ ~~

Waterfall, though, was labeled (and had remained) unsafe. Lack of resources and manpower prevented any real effort of deterring predation, and eventually Undyne had to wash her hands of that region in order to protect what she could of Hotland and New Home. A curfew was implemented and parents kept children home to prevent them from being kidnapped for food.

Snowdin and the Ruins had been written off entirely.

You glanced up again, a little desperately this time, eyes searching the hollow eyesockets in front of you for answers. You open your mouth to say something, ask him something, but nothing comes out other than a hoarse croak. You clear your throat to try again, but the Mediator shakes his head.

“Keep reading,” he murmurs, expression even more grim if it was possible. Skull as smooth as ever but moulded into a frown, whole face twisting into an unhappy shape. You try not to stare, not let yourself find excuses for distraction as you reluctantly turn back. Your eyes jitter unseeingly across the page until you spot the word ‘human’ —

_...gotten so desperate, that not only had there been cases of cannibalism amongst monsters but among humans and animals too as they fell into the affected underground realms…_

— and just about swallow your heart, an icy jab of fear making you jolt forward in your seat. Snowdin had been cut off from rations entirely and turned desperate. The only members of the Royal Guard, two sentries, took leadership as the Butchers; protecting the town from the cannibal gangs of Waterfall and resetting traps in Ruins nearly the Entrance as necessary. They were the primary hunters and made sure all catches were distributed equally through the sole pub owner of Snowdin.

You didn't have to ask, knowing exactly who the 'Butchers' were.

“for the two sibling pairs, their stories are pretty similar,” the Mediator remarked softly. “the details differ in severity and involvement, but the background remains the same.”

...Just for the four brothers? You felt sick with dread, not wanting to know about the last one. Really, _really_ not wanting to ask considering how he had been the literal last survivor of his Realm. Unfortunately, you didn't get a choice in the matter.

“the last guy, well, officially it was famine that emptied out his underground.” Something about the way he said that. So measured and pointed in his word choice. A leading statement with only one way to go.

“...And unofficially?” You sighed, asking what he obviously wanted you to as you crossed your arms defensively and turned away, shoulders scrunched up uncomfortably. You _really_ didn’t want to know.

“it was genocide.” You choked at that, a nauseous and clammy feeling taking up residence in you throat, like you swallowed a slug. But he didn’t give you time to dwell on it, to come up with your own conclusions, before he verbally punched you again, “and it was a fallen human who did it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the "truth" is revealed. Most of it.
> 
> The truth Therapy Human needs to know, anyway.
> 
> Resets and souls and the complete truth behind "Dusty" is something that will be explored more later, don't worry. For now, it's not relevant and considered a "need to know" basis only. It had been judged that it would be more prudent to wait out the potential handler first and measure their worth, more or less. There was already an NDA for just the "basic" level of knowledge that is the clusterfuck of the Crypt Boys... Just imagine the stakes and trust needed for the rest of the story and not the sugar-coated version (that's right, despite the grisly details that were given, it still wasn't the full story).
> 
> And yes, monsters ate fellow monsters /while they were still alive/. They were essentially attempting to consume as much raw magic/dust mixture as possible before death when the magic would disappear with the soul. As long as the magic was consumed fully beforehand, the devoured magic would remain within them and become "theirs".
> 
> And yes, to clarify, the Canine Unit ate any caught cannibal gangs, ironically enough. The unfortunate monster was often torn to shreds and consumed so quickly, the majority of them were already eaten before they had the chance to dust.
> 
> Waterfall is a complete no-mans-land at this point. Most of the water has dried up, save for various-sized pools where starving monsters lie in wait for their next meal to come too close for a drink... Or semi-aquatic monsters shamble around. Or worse, the Temmies/Floweys who have become a scourge upon that section of the Underground all of their own. Feral and mindlessly hungry. Basically locusts.
> 
> In any case, I really wanted to get across how terrible the whole situation really was, and not brush off the reality of it like so many fics do. I spent hours pouring over records and documentaries of survival cannibalism, and the Underground in both horror-verses is based heavily on the Siege of Leningrad and the 900-day starvation. I didn't go full into details, since I didn't want to completely drown you all in exposition/backstory like I've been know to do. But expect to hear tidbits and snippets on what they had to do to survive. They didn't just eat people. They literally ate everything they could, up to tearing the pages out of books and boiling them to eat. That right. /Books./ Anything edible and even things not meant to be eaten were consumed to fill the emptiness. More on this later, just remember it's all based on real life accounts.
> 
> And aren't you struck with the nagging feeling that we've forgotten something...? Perhaps, some/one/ specifically?
> 
> Don't worry, I haven't. We'll get to the mystery of Him pretty soon.


	3. Meeting Requirements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you prepare your house and your spirit for not only five skeletons monsters, but something more quietly terrifying...

A furry paw tentatively gripping your shoulder drew you out of your brooding thoughts. It was the other handler, a Category One monster by the name of Lavender who would be your guide for the foreseeable future.

She was a very likeable person, oozing an easy confidence and sheer amiability. Her fur was a plush looking dark purple that shined a faded violet in the sunlight. Her rounded hands had thick black pads; inky eyes huge and guileless as they were framed by soft eyelashes. Lavender was quite pretty, in an uncanny sort of way. Of course, you would appreciate her that much more if she wasn't a **rabbit** monster of all things. Irony was cruel like that.

You… tried not to let it bother you, remaining polite, if quiet. You had three months to get used to her appearance and she would be invaluable help in the time to come. Alienating such a genuinely good person because they had passing resemblance to your most feared animal? Unthinkable.

So, you listened to her sociable chatter and pretended not to notice her frequent glances towards the sky and horizon, nodding at points or sometimes asking a question. Look at you, being a functional adult and making friends beyond your clientele. Your family would be proud, if exasperated that it was another non-human, sentient or not. You didn't waste time idling, telling Lavender to make herself at home while you rushed out to tend to the animals. Which, you _did_ have to do, it wasn’t entirely an excuse to distance yourself from her but was enough of one that the guilt ate at you. Just one more thing to add to the pile, right?

The only one real regret that you were having about this whole ordeal, was that you had to dismiss your farm hands. You only had two, but those two extra people made all the difference in the world… It was a very good thing indeed that you would be compensated for your time, because you were going to have to close all openings for the foreseeable future. The clients you had now would be barely doable on your own, and you were only at a little over half capacity. It might be too much to hope that Lavender would step in with keeping your main five occupied, and depending so heavily on a temporary resource would just be counter-productive in the long run.

There were going to be some long days ahead of you.

But, this was your calling, so you give no complaints just as your clients do not. Most remain skittish towards you even still, keeping a wary distance away as they watch you place their feed in the buckets, ears pressed back against their skulls and posture tense, alert always. Waiting. It’s just as well that you wait, too.

You have never lost yet in a battle of patience, and you don’t particularly plan to start anytime soon either. Rehabilitating creatures that had been hurt and broken deeply somewhere inside by your kind, there’s no reward in rushing or forcing it. They fear you and the pain you might bring, and will react out of that fear rather than any miniscule amount of trust you burgeoned thus far. These were not creatures you could trust your back to, just as they wouldn’t entrust theirs.

It should be noted, that most were horses rescued from stable clubs or private ownership from people who saw them more as objects or trophies than anything living. Horses were considered a luxury, after all. And when these high-strung horses collided with spoiled and unexperienced riders... Things got ugly extremely quickly. Some scarred from misuse of riding crops and whips. Some crippled from overgrown hoofs and founder, needing extreme attention and care daily, with special diets and physical therapy. And some horses... Some of them were straight up mean spirited with a malicious streak in them that wouldn't ever be removed.

But even still, no matter the what or why that brought them here, you cared for them all the same.

After the horses, you checked the birds, the goats, the cats, and the dogs before finally admitted to yourself that there could be no more procrastinating... You entered the house reluctantly, sometime later. Stepping through the entryway, you hug up the light coat and scarf you had been wearing, and sighed quietly to yourself. There would be no more denial from here on out, and you had only today and tomorrow to really prepare for the first two of your guests to come over. Even though you wouldn't be picking them up until the mid-afternoon, there would hardly be anytime to start any of the bigger projects and finish them without being sloppy.

And you didn't _do_ sloppy.

So, setting up lunch for you and Lavender would be the first thing, and plotting out how the next two days were to go would be the second. You would try to be equal about dividing up the work load, but you were just as likely to take on most of the projects yourself, if you weren't careful. It would be poor form to doubt the monster who was supposed to help you before she was even given a chance to prove herself...

Shaking your head to clear out the anxious thoughts, you entered the kitchen, trying to figure out what a rabbit monster might eat without being accidently racist. You figure, for the moment, it might behoove you to nix any meat with whatever recipe you end up settling upon for lunch. A crisp veggie sandwich actually sounds pretty good right about now. You can ask what Lavender likes to eat most then, and if meat was an option she was interested in or not. You would also have to check the case files later, and if dietary preferences weren't mentioned, call the mediator's contact number to ask directly.

You... sort of hoped that **red** meat wasn't a preference, being more of a bird and fish meat eater yourself. There were a few neighbors you knew that often went hunting during fall and through winter with their crossbows. Before, they had mentioned wanting to hunt on your land in exchange for giving you a generous cut of whatever had been caught. You had said "no" back then, but perhaps such a deal now might prove beneficial if it turned out that meat was...

_~~they ate monster and human alike to survive--~~ _

You violently shook your head and covered your face with you hands, forcing yourself to take in deep and even breaths, heart pounding. In for four, hold for seven, out for four. Breathe. Hold fast. It's fine.

...  
  
You were going to have to remember to call your neighbors later tonight and make copies of your property's map for them. Three kilometers away from your house at bare minimum. And you would have to get bright orange coats for the horses just in case... Not to mention warn your new housemates beforehand about the hunting season. Maybe asking for your neighbor to give a quick heads up before venturing out...?

So many things to plan, it makes your head spin.

There's a harsh _thunk_ and when you look down, the kohlrabi was already neatly sliced and you had pressed too hard into the wood of your cutting board. There's a long deep indent where your knife had sunk in from your preoccupied chopping. It was utterly unsettling to see the other ingredients were much the same: carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, spinach...

The clock tells you it's been forty-five minutes, and distantly you can hear Lavender already clearing out the guest room of boxes to be sorted through later. You're left with little choice but to bring out the rye bread, avocado spread, and some goat cheese. It was time for lunch and for you to face your fears.

Lavender at least seems extremely appreciative of the food as she settles down to join you; her first bite being experimental and polite before her eyes widen in surprise and her next bite is much bigger and more eager. After she takes a moment to sip her tea and clear her throat, the rabbit monster admits sheepishly, "Sorry, human food tends to be a hit or miss at times. The... more processed foods can be a bit hard to stomach, we can taste the chemicals. Some like it, but I like more natural foods myself."

Nodding, you mentally note this with a little relief that the worst of your food crimes were canned soups and condiments. You pickle and preserve plenty of food yourself without need of having to buy in stores, and freely trade with nearby neighbors for things you don't have. In the mountains, people have to look out for each other, since there often wasn't anyone else you could depend on other than yourself.

Taking the opening as it was, you asked, "Besides fresh and natural foods, what else do you like? Knowing ahead of time makes it easier to plan meals in the future."

Lavender reflected on this, taking a thoughtful bite of some avocado and squinting out the sunlit window. The kitchen clock ticked away the seconds, silence only broken by that and the muffled sounds of eating. You idly watched one of the rescue cats stretch and roll over on the rug, basking in the warm light and tail flicking in contentment.

Distantly, a goat bleated, and it seemed to bring Lavender's attention back to you. "This may seem strange, but mulled cider. My family had a deal with Muffet, since her tavern was practically right next door. We would take her spider cider as a base, and slow cook it in spices. Served with cinnabunnies, it was an unbeatable winter combo. We made a huge spiked batch, which she got back, and we got to keep a much smaller batch of unalcoholic mulled cider for ourselves."

"You... would like to have some here?"

"If you have the space for a pot of it and know where we could get some decent cider," Lavender confirmed sheepishly. "Having some monster food in general wouldn't be amiss, actually. While we can convert human food into magic gradually and get a lot of magic in return for the effort, having some entirely magic based food might be a smart decision in case of an emergency."

"...Like mulled spider cider," you surmised, leaning back in your chair thoughtfully.

"That is an option, yes," the monster confirmed before explaining, "The main difference is humans don't channel magic into their ingredients while cooking nor have their ingredient bathed in magic, like pretty much everything Underground has. A lot of the unique plant life there could have only thrived somewhere like that, a place heavily concentrated in magic. So, unless a monster put special Intent into their food, like a boost of green magic, for instance, all the food Underground would passively boost a person's HP... And the human food here, doesn't. At least not right away."

The more you heard about it, the more the Underground sounded like a pressure cooker of magic: anything that entered it invariably became more magic in nature. And, wow, 'magic' was starting to sound less and less like a word the more you heard it.

"I'll make a note of it. I've been meaning to ask the Mediator a few questions already, so see if we can arrange supply of monster food to supplement the human food we do have wouldn't be remiss..." Looking back over at Lavender, you asked, "Does monster food preserve well? It wouldn't do well to have an emergency stock, only for it to spoil right when we need it most."

"Oh... human food... spoils?" Lavender seems a mixture of intrigued and almost uncertain, looking down at the mostly eaten sandwich in her paws. After a moment, avocado spread dripped onto her plate in two fat drops. She looked a little queasy.

You attempted to reassure her, "Not immediately. Most human food takes days at the bare minimum before going bad. Others, if properly stored or preserved, can take weeks or months... Eventually, however, yes, human food turns inedible for us." You pause. "Well.. We could, but not without getting horrendously ill and possibly dying. It's why the rule of thumb is to try not to make more of a meal than you can eat in the next three days. I generally only make enough of something for two meals before making something new."

Lavender seemed to slowly relax, but her brows were still furrowed when she asked, "How can you tell? If it's spoiled, I mean."

"Smell," You reply instantly, and then amend, "Or a change in color. But obvious discolored circles can appear on the food or a white fuzz. That's called mold... And the more we talk about this, the more I'm thinking monster food has a long shelf life...?"

The rabbit monster nodded, "The closest I've seen of something spoiling, is if someone forgot to water their plant and it wilts. Monster food... never changes in properties until you make it into something else. It's not very physical, you know?"

No, you didn't. This was yet another thing you could label as 'magic shenanigans'.

"So... not physical... What about meat? Animal byproducts like milk and eggs seem to be okay...?"

"Snails and fish are extremely popular Underground, all sorts of shellfish too. The Grillby from the other Underground, he's like our Muffet, he made fish patties! Can you imagine? Not half bad, but a little spicy, if you ask me." Lavender didn't quite answer your question about the eggs or the milk. Just how could they get that Underground? You aren't entirely sure that you want to know.

"And insects too, I guess... Hmm," You mused aloud, "And considering they're going to be skeletons, calcium-rich foods, monster or otherwise, wouldn't be remiss, either..."

"You're making a whole grocery list, aren't you?" Lavender laughed, seemingly having relaxed about the concept of spoiling food as she finished off the rest of her sandwich, ears flicking with mirth. "Mind making a to-do list too, while you're at it? I only found three rooms, I'm not entirely sure that's enough for seven people, even if it'll eventually be six."

Prodding a stick of kohlrabi into the avocado spread in a thoughtful manner, you answered absently, "I have an attic and a library that I'm planning to convert into large shared rooms for the brothers. We'll have to clean the space to be suitable."

Lavender frowned, a bit uncertain but unwilling to ignore a concern of hers, "Shared rooms... I understand that there isn't much space here but I worry that it might be a problem long term for everyone to not have their own space. I-I'm sure they must be close, but being able to be independent and have a secure room all of one's own would be helpful too, I feel."

You nod, listening even if you're not looking at her directly. Snapping off the end of the veggie stick, you take your time chewing on it before responding, "That's a good point, and I'll start looking at additions that could be made to the house. However: we can't begin construction this year."

"What...? Why wait and not start now? Wouldn't the sooner you begin, the better?" The monster didn't particularly sound too panicked, since it wasn't an outright denial to her worry, but the confusion was palpable in her voice.

"Winter is coming," you tell her by way of explanation. And when the confusion didn't seem to let up, you added, "Summer is almost over. If we started doing it all now, we might not finish in time before snow comes to the mountains... and it would take months, since I have a feeling that too many strange people around all at once would give them undue stress... If we wait until spring, they'll be more used to life on the surface and we can take our time on the construction without being too harried over the weather beyond the usual rain."

"...You mean, _this all changes too??_ " There was no way to predict Lavender's reaction; the way her eyes widened, long ears flattened against her skull, and how her whole body tensed with fur standing on end. You had to look away, a swell of something sick and fearful lodging in your breastbone. All you could see is the rabbit in your hands and its lifeless form in the bramble bush. Voice thick, you croak out a simple 'yes' before clearing it with a long draught of water.

Through the faint whine of ringing ears, you could make out Lavender exclaiming to herself, "Does _nothing_ ever remain the same? Between this and the sky... Oh stars, hun, are you alright?"

The sensation of a furry paw on your shoulder makes you shiver and blink, and you take in a deep breath: in for four, hold for seven, and out for four. It's fine. You're fine. _This is fine._

"Oh... Well, if you're certain," Lavender hummed unconvinced but removed her hand all the same.

There's beat of silence as you do another deep breath, and then you stand, woodenly gathering the dishes with automatic movements. Distantly, you tell her (again) that you're fine and when she feels up to it, that she's welcome to start and that you would be up shortly. You stand in front of the sink, water running, as Lavender makes her way up the stairs, just watching the water and dishsoap swirl down the drain, gurgling. 

Your stomach twists as you think back on the horrified expression on the rabbit's monster's face... Knees buckling, you end up crouched by the sink and clutching to edge of it, breathing in deep.

In for four, hold for seven, out for four...

It's fine. You're fine. This is just... fine.  
  
You aren't entirely sure _how_ you will make it through the next several months with her... But you'll have to try. You'll have to face your fears sooner or later, and later just turned into now.

* * *

With a labored grunt, you push the last bookcase into its new corner in the attic before slowly sitting on the freshly cleaned floor with a wheeze. Looking around the room with a bleary gaze, you had to admit that it looked leagues more welcoming now. New curtains, two new four poster beds an equal distance apart, and some simple furniture to keep it all from looking too barren. Lavender had been a great help in suggesting a canopy for the beds; at the very least, they could have some privacy that way in a shared room. The measurements seemed almost unreal. Seven feet tall for two of them? Astounding.  
  
You count yourself fortunate that you thought to check in with the Mediator _before_ you went shopping, the Organization had been quick to step in for a majority of you needs in an almost scarily efficient manner. Your cellar had been crammed floor to ceiling of monster food, furniture and belongings brought in cardboard boxes, and three extra sets of helping hands to rearrange and assemble it all. They had done so the day before yesterday, after you and Lavender cleaned out the worst of the clutter from the attic and library...  
  
The guest room had been already cleaned, since the farmhand who has stayed there already moved out with their belongings... But seeing only a single half-empty box for 'Dusty' to unpack was... beyond disheartening. It remained untouched and rested forlornly on the bed, looking misplaced on the cheery floral bedspread. You made sure to leave him most of your science based books with him, since his scant file noted a "vague interest in the celestial bodies". Whatever that meant.  
  
Sometimes, you really wanted to strangle the person in charge of cataloguing them. Who cared about looking clever?? Didn't they have better things to do than act like they were in a racist nature documentary?? Every line came across as clinical at best and insufferable at worst.  
  
For the rest, you had evenly divvied up your book collections between the converted rooms and the living room. Admittedly, you had taken your absolute favorites to rest in your room and the others that you might want to read were placed in the living room, but all were free game, really. You entirely expected that they would sort through what they did and didn't like on their shelves, books migrating through various bookshelves. But if they weren't satisfied with the selection, you would be willing to go browsing for different ones online with them.

Honestly speaking, however, you were more focused on getting them more clothes. Going by what you could hear in the boxes when they were set down in the rooms, since you didn't open them out of respect for privacy, fabric or soft objects weren't plentiful. And what little belongings that they _did_ have weren't many either. You tried to hold on to the hope that they would bring more with them when they moved in, but it wasn't a strong one. The best you could do to quell the guilt was to use the packed away belongings in your ex-attic to give some personalization to the rooms.

It was better than letting them gather cobwebs and grime while chilling in the shed.

Between you and Lavender sorting through all the stored away boxes, scrubbing and airing out the whole house, and either donating or recycling the extra junk... Your house felt the cleanest its ever been since moving in, but still, you looked for more to do while Lavender rested up in the second guest room. Well, her room now, you supposed, for the foreseeable future.

Point was, you were nervous, as much as you tried not to let it on.

There were only two you were picking up so far, their new names undecided, as the other three were having a procedure done today and would need the rest of the week to recover. You haven't been given many details but... it seemed like a work around had been found and your advice taken. Something, something, compatible stats.

 ~~_...they shared LoVe and high levels of DT in their magic. it's the closest match of stats that we're gonna get for a 'donor'... it's not guaranteed, but it's something. it's more than we had before, more than_ ~~ ~~they _had before... thank you..._~~

Perhaps you should be grateful that it was being done in increments. Perhaps you were being paranoid over nothing. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

But all you could hear was warning you had gotten by mistake: **dangerous**.

It sat there in your mind, heavy and insidious. Coiling around your thoughts and slowly constricting like a snake in the grass, posed to bite and inject fatal venom. A slow inevitable failure, filled with paralysis and labored breathing through unspeakable pain. Jet black eyes staring beadily into your own bulging ones, a hissing laugh, a —

Fanciful nightmare interrupted by a knock on the attic door as Lavender peeks in, damp nose wiggling curiously. "Are you ready?"

"...Sure, let's go."

You were fine. It was fine. Time to leave.

* * *

Tall didn't even begin to cover it.

They both tower over you in a manner that made you feel like a child again, lost in a grocery store. It was a small relief to find that they both looked leagues better than the pictures of "Crooks" and "Muzzle" had been. Like they shed that image away along with the insulting monikers. New clothes (although, the shorter one ~~Muzzle~~ still wears the homemade armor on top, the fur looking soft to the touch and the metal shining like it had been recently buffed and polished) and shoes for both. Soft and loose fitting for the taller monster and what looked to be something formfitting for the other with a new muted blue scarf to match with his weathered (but clean!) gloves... There was something distinctly unsettling about how his eyelights fizzled and buzzed as he stared you down, not blinking once and pupils constricting the longer the silence stretched. You made sure to regard the both of them evenly.

_~~if you act like prey, you get treated like--~~ _

...You haven't decided on a name yet, but once the four of you got back to the farm, the decision on one for both would be made then. The remaining three would get theirs once they were were brought back to the house as well. Maybe if you give them something innocuous, there would be some motivation to live up to the name.

"Hello, You Must Be Our Human," the tallest one rasped. His smile was hesitant, but it made your normally stoic face light up in faint delight. He had gotten his teeth looked at! Pastel braces shined under the artificial lighting, keeping his thinned out set of teeth together. No longer was there a tangled mass of twisted teeth, painfully grown back into something malformed. There were some gaps that had been replaced with what looked like false teeth, but the majority of his smile was all his own. It likely would never be entirely the same as it had been before the incident that caused this in the first place, but now... _Now,_ at least, he could talk and eat without pain. Could live his life without feeling ashamed to so much as _smile._

He noticeably had a cane that he leaned on for support as he took a step closer, a trembling hand outstretched to shake your own.. The show frailty seemed almost feigned in the strength of his grip when he squeezed your hand, but his unsteadiness could hardly be faked as he carefully bent down to be more at your height. You carefully pat his hand with your other as he shakes it, movements slow and calm. You keep your breathing even and discreetly suck on the peppermint in your mouth. All tricks to fool your body into a false calm, nodding at his greeting and offer your own name.

"Ah..." Here he seems tense and measure his words, eyesockets small and wobbling as it feels like he's looking between you, the other skeleton monster, and Lavender. His voice is tentative like cat's paw pressing into the snow when he asks, "We Had Been Told That Our... Names... Could Be Changing Yet Again, Is This True?"

"Yes," you answer simply. When this doesn't appear to reassure him any and the other skeleton's stiff posture (oh _God_ how does he have so many teeth in that cheshire grin of his??) almost seems to threaten something unpleasant, only then do you add gently, "It won't be like last time. You get a say in your names too, if you like them or not. If you're not happy with what you're called by, there's no point."

"Oh, That Sounds Quite Reasonable, Human. Thank you." The taller one doesn't relax so much as he no longer looked like he was bracing himself for something disagreeable. Like a name akin to a slap to the face. The other remains alert and watchful, saying nothing and posture remaining frozen in place, like a weapon locked and loaded, waiting for a trigger.

It wasn't overtly obvious, you would give it that, but the lack of breathing and the controlled stillness he maintained... You knew a creature on the hunt when you saw one. The most you could do was give pointed and controlled glances over to him. No bids for appearing bigger or a threat, but no cringing or humbling yourself into something smaller. You were both equals. You respected his power, but you would not cower. Telegraph it. Cold eyelights crackled and flickered, one lengthening and shrinking like a heart monitor...

He pointedly looked away and rolled his shoulders, eyelights scanning around the area to assess the room before looking back faux-innocently, as if to say 'what? me?'.

You knew, it hadn't been an admission of defeat or submission. He merely acknowledge you as something worth sparing for the moment, if only because it served him better to do so. You were worth more alive than dead.

...In for four, hold for seven, out for four, breathe.

You're fine.

"So... the truck is this way. I made sure to leave extra blankets in the bed of the truck and some cords back there to hold onto, but I'll be driving slow so you can all take in the scenery..."

_It's fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really not fine, but there's not much else you can tell yourself in these sorts of situations are there?
> 
> I'm sorry it took so long, but given how this last year really seemed to kick everyone while they're down, I feel it can be excused, just this once. I feel like I hit a groove so after posting this, I'll be continuing to write chapter four. I won't give a time estimate of when it'll be done other than shockingly soon after posting this one, in comparison for how long it took the rest.
> 
> Next chapter will contain the naming process and settling two of our skeletons in. If it wasn't made very clear, the taller one is HT!Papyrus and the shorter one HS!Sans. Short is relative, however, when you're just over two meters tall (~6'2"). But given Paps is a good head and shoulders above even that (~7'), there's not much else you could describe him as.
> 
> I tried to keep this from feeling too much like a filler, since I've took the opportunity to set up the background and seed in the Therapy Human's phobia, but it couldn't be helped much beyond that.
> 
> None of the cast is truly Okay... and /you/ will be going through a healing process just as much as the Crypt will be.
> 
> After you get thoroughly terrorized, of course. :)
> 
> Thank you for your patience everyone, I'll try to make it all worth it in the end.
> 
> A special thanks to Koiikun for being so understanding and encouraging... Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Credit is given where credit is due.
> 
> Thank you nays, without you this would be nothing but another one of my many work place daydreams I get lost in to survive another shift at my jobs.
> 
> And thank you Koiikun! Your skeletons breathe life into this fic.
> 
> Go talk to the Skeles here! >>>   
>  https://koiikun.tumblr.com/


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